Stronger Than Blood
by ShadowDragonGhost
Summary: L.J. and Rya had been together forever. Until they are separated from each other and thought that the other had died. Now that the circus is back in town, Jeff sees someone so similar to L.J. that e runs straight to the demon clown and tells him. How will L.J. react to finding his brother? How will Rya react to finally being reunited with his beloved older brother?
1. Chapter 1

Part 1 - The Beginning

~Narrator POV~

Rya is an exact replica of his older brother Laughing Jack. He has red hair; bright blue eyes filled with curiosity, mischief, and fun; rainbow feathers decorate his tiny shoulders; he has a small cone shaped nose like his brother that is rainbow colored. Yep, he is a miniature L.J.

Rya even has a dark side that only showed when angered or upset. He has all of L.J.'s powers as well. He loves being able to give other kids candy, especially when they were sad.

L.J. and Rya are currently in Rya's room. L.J. has laid Rya down for a nap and is now staring off into space. He fails to notice Rya sneaking up on his. . . . . At least that's what Rya thinks.

As Rya is about to tackle L.J., L.J. turns and tackles a surprised Rya. The elder brother then proceeds to tickle his younger brother, making him laugh. Rya is L.J.'s world and he never misses a chance to let Rya know that. No one, who has met them, could doubt they are brothers. L.J. stops tickling Rya before he gets too excited.

Rya has a very weak heart and a hole in it that is half the size of his fist. This causes him to tire easily and cough up blood a lot when overly excited. He worries L.J. constantly.

L.J. never takes his eyes off his precious little brother, for fear of losing him forever. L.J.'s fear only grows when he thinks of how many ways Rya can get hurt and start coughing again. He lost a lot of blood the last time this happened. Rya has to take pills to keep his heart rate low. L.J. makes sure he takes them, even when Rya seemingly refuses to even look at the pill. L.J. looks down at his little brother, who lies beneath him.

"You should be sleeping Rya," L.J. gently scolds while laying his head on Rya's small chest.

"I was," Rya's gentle quiet voice says, "but then I woke up and saw you frowning. You had a sad look in your eyes too. I was worried that something was wrong."

"I'm sorry if I worried you Rya," L.J. says, "but please don't worry about me. Your health is more important to me. Now get some more sleep. You will be too exhausted to do anything later if you don't."

"Okay," Rya says, "but only if you sleep with me. I don't wanna be alone."

"I will always be there so Rya," L.J. says, "I promise that we will always be together. Even if we can't see each other, I will always protect you. We will live together forever, I promise. Now get some sleep, we have a busy night tonight."

Rya falls asleep in his brother's warm embrace with L.J. following shortly after.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Time Skip~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The carnival is alive with lights, music and large crowds of people. Parents run around trying to keep track of their energetic children. Stands filled with games and prizes, candy and drinks, fun around every corner. This is how all of their nights are in the carnival. Rya sits upon his elder brother's shoulders, holding the balloons, and helps hand them out.

L.J. knows tonight is going to be busier than normal because it is the last night they will be in this town. He keeps Rya on his shoulders for two reasons. One, He is trying to keep Rya from getting overly excited. Two, he is being separated from Rya. They had been told not long after they had awoken from their nap that Rya was going to be going to a different carnival, away from L.J. He doesn't like this.

'Rya is mine,' L.J. thinks as he walks through the crowds, 'if they so much as touch him in any way he doesn't like, I'll kill them.'

Rya knows off L.J.'s dark side, mainly because he has one too. He places a gentle kiss on his brother's forehead, startling the elder boy. Rya giggles.

"Don't worry L.J.," Rya says gently, "I will be fine. Remember your promise though cause when I'm older we will be together again. Even if we cannot physically see each other, I know we can feel what each other is feeling. I know you are scared and angry. I am too but our bond is stronger than anything. Nothing can break it. Not even if you turn into a psychotic killer clown. You will always be my big brother and the only one I will ever love."

"Aww," L.J. says, "I know Rya. Our bond will never be shattered. You are my world Rya. Never forget that I will always love you and only you. Now let's go finish packing your things. You leave tonight."

L.J. will never admit but his heart felt as if it were being shattered like glass. The one person that his entire existence, his entire world, revolved around was being taken away from him. Rya will never admit it either but he is just as heartbroken as his brother, if not more. He doesn't feel safe without his big brother's warm, loving, and secure embrace. However, they have no choice in the matter.


	2. Chapter 2

Part 2 - Goodbye

~Narrator's POV~

L.J. stands by his carnival's ringleader, holding onto Rya for dear life. The elder brother is reluctant to let go of his precious younger half. The ringleaders from both carnivals stand in front of them, deep in conversation with each other.

"L.J. it's time to say goodbye," his ringleader says sadly.

L.J. nods and set Rya down on the ground. He kneels in front of his younger brother and pulls out two identical tiger plushies. One was white with black stripes and the other was black with white stripes. They both had silvery-white eyes.

L.J. gives the white tiger plushy to Rya. Rya takes it and holds it close to this tiny chest.

"This is to make sure we don't forget our promise," he says softly, "never forget Rya. One day we will be able to be together forever. No one will bother us and we won't ever be separated again."

"L.J.," Rya cries quietly, "I won't forget."

L.J. hugs his little brother tightly before handing him to Rya's new ringleader. He watches as the car that holds his world drove away. L.J. turns and trudges slowly back to Rya's old room. L.J. grips the black tiger plushy and lays on Rya's old bed, feeling empty and alone. He holds the white striped tiger to his chest tightly, curling up and letting the tears finally break free.

His world was gone.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Time skip to a month later ~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It's been close to a month since Rya got separated from L.J. L.J is setting up props when a feeling comes over him. He freezes and stiffens as he tries to regain control over his sanity. Someone calls him.

He turns and sees the ringleader walking towards him, a grim look adorning his face. The bad feeling L.J. has only grows.

"What is it?' L.J. asks with wide eyes.

"It's Rya," the ringleader says, "There was an accident during one of the shows…"

"What happened to my Rya?" L.J. asks desperately.

"I'm sorry L.J." the ringleader sighs.

L.J. drops to his knees in shock. Tears stream down his face. He can feel the last strands of sanity slip away like wisps in the wind. His heart shatters even more when a white tiger plushy with black stripes and silvery-white eyes is placed in front of him. He looks at the plushy for what seems like forever. His sanity finally breaks as his insanity takes over. His bright colors fade and wash away, turning black and white. His eyes go from blue to white and his teeth turn into those of a shark. L.J. slaughters the entire carnival that night, constantly holding onto the tiger plushy he had given to his world. Now his world was gone forever.

~~~~~ At the same time ~~~~~

"Rya," the ringleader says, "I come bearing bad news. It's about L.J."

"What happened to my L.J.?" Rya asks, his heart starting to shatter.

"I'm sorry," he says looking down, holding out a black tiger plushy with white stripes and silvery-white eyes. Rya's breath stuck in his throat. He can't breathe, can't think, and can't do anything.

Rya falls to his knees, tears streaming down his paler than normal face. He grabs the plushy and holds onto it like a life line, holding it against his unhealthily skinny chest. His tiny body shakes in grief. The ringleader picks up the youngest member of his carnival and carries the heartbroken child to his room.

From then on Rya never felt any emotion again. His heart was a void of darkness, pain and sorrow. His smile is fake and his eyes are dead and cold. Every year on the day of L.J.'s death, Rya hides in his room and cries his heart out. He forgets to take his pills every day and has so many attacks that he almost dies multiple times. Everyone left him alone when he is like this. He lashes out at those who try to comfort him. All he wants is his brother back. Rya is weakest on this day and as he never lets go of the tiger plushy.

Never.


	3. Chapter 3

Part 3 - The Sighting

~Jeff's POV~

I am standing in the shadows at a carnival that had come to town. I'm looking for someone to pick as my next victim. My hood is up, covering my face so no one can see who I really am. There are a lot of people here today, a lot to pick from. I continue to look around until I spot a familiar shock of red hair. At first I think it is Laughing Jack but he is back at the mansion. I look closer and see that this person is much shorter than L.J. and has a more feminine figure. I can see that he is unnaturally thin.

'Didn't L.J. mention that he had a younger brother?' I ask myself, 'But that would be impossible. L.J. said he died. If that is so then why am I seeing an exact copy of L.J. right now? Could it be that his younger brother never died? Did someone set it up to where each thought the other was dead? It would make sense. If he is anything like L.J., then having them together they would make the most powerful team. Possibly strong enough to defeat Zalgo without breaking a sweat. I was gonna look for my next victim but this seems to be more important. L.J. thinks his brother is dead. I have to tell him.

With that I high tail it back to the mansion. As I run back to the mansion I recall seeing the red head smile. His eyes hold no emotion and his smile is fake. He looks so broken. I run faster, knowing I have to get to L.J. quickly. I slam the doors open, rushing into the den area of the mansion. Slender is sitting in his chair, reading a book. He looks up from reading and stares at me.

"Jeff what's wrong?" he asks concerned.

"W-where's L.J.?" I pant.

"I'm right here," L.J. says, "What do you want?"

"What does your brother look like?" I ask after catching my breath.

"Why do you want to know?" L.J.'s eyes narrow.

"Just tell me damn it!" I yell.

"He has bright blood red hair, sky blue eyes, rainbow colors, feminine body and facial structure, shorter than me," L.J. says reluctantly, "unnaturally thin, used to work in a carnival until he died."

"Are you absolutely sure that he's dead?" I ask.

"What?" he asks, "of course I'm sure. The ringleader gave me the tiger plushy that I gave him."

"Are you for certain that he is dead?" I ask again, "Did they show you his body or even tell you how, when or where he died? Did they show you any evidence of his death? Are you sure it wasn't all just set up by someone who didn't want you two together?"

"Why wouldn't anyone want us together?" L.J. asks with Slender now listening in on the conversation.

"Because if the two of you are put together you are even more powerful than Zalgo," I tell him, "did you ever think that maybe he is actually alive?"

"I have had a feeling but I didn't want to get my hopes up," L.J. confesses.

"Well now you can," I tell him.

"What do you mean?" L.J. sounds confused.

"I saw him L.J." I say, "I saw him at the carnival that came to town. As soon as I realized who it was and what had happened I rushed over here. L.J. you have to get him out of there. When I saw him his smile was fake and his eyes held no emotion. It was like he was an empty shell. He was holding onto a black tiger plushy that had white stripes and silvery-white eyes. It was the exact same as the one you have but the colors are switched. You have to hurry L.J. This is the last night of the carnival."

"Are you absolutely certain you saw him?" L.J. asks gripping my shoulders.

"Yes," I say, "now go! Before you lose him forever."

L.J. is gone without another word. Slender looks at me, wraps a tendril around my waist and pulls me onto his lap. I lean against his chest, taking in his warmth. He rubs my back comfortingly.

"You did the right thing Jeff," Slender says, "I'm proud of you."

"I just couldn't stand seeing L.J. mope around all day long," I confess, "when I saw his brother I thought it was him at first until I really looked at him. Hopefully they can be together again without any problems."

"We can only wait and see what fate has decided for them," Slender says, "why don't you take a nap? You're exhausted. I will be here, so please rest."

"Okay," I nod, taking out my eye-mask and putting it on.

"Sleep well Jeff," is the last thing I hear Slender say before I fall asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

Part 4 - Reunion

~L.J.'s POV~

I teleport to the carnival Jeff was talking about. There are not as many here now since Jeff had left. I stick to the shadows, trying to find what Jeff saw.

I look around wildly. I don't see the shock of red hair that Jeff saw. I continue to look for any evidence that my brother is alive. I am now looking in the area when the workers and performers of the carnival sleep. I pass a window of one of the trailers and hear crying. I lean closer to hear what the voice is saying.

"You promised," an all too familiar quiet voice says, "you promised we would be together forever. Why? Why did you leave me behind? Why did you let me go? Why didn't you say no? L.J. please. I can't take much more of this. Please come back…"

They crying grows harder and I know instantly who it is. I also know that if he doesn't stop he is going to have another attack. On cue I hear him start to cough. I teleport into the room and the sight I see mends and shatters my heart over and over again.

Rya lay on the floor in a pool of his own blood. His wrists are slit and blood slides from the fresh wounds. Scars adorn his arms as if he has been doing this for years. Blood dribbles from his mouth as he convulses and coughs some more. His face contorts in pain while his eyes remain cold and dead, showing no emotion.

'Jeff's right,' I think, 'he does seem to be broken. It is as if he no longer has a reason to live. I will ask him about cutting himself later. For now, I need to stop the bleeding and get him back to the mansion. Slender should be able to help. I'm so happy he's alive. I thought he was dead. I was lied to and I'm not happy about it. I will find who did this to us and kill him. Maybe Rya will help…'

I kneel down and pull Rya onto my lap gently. I rub his back and rock him back and forth to calm him down. He must have noticed me by my presence because he nuzzles his head against my chest. After he calms down, the coughing stops. His breathing slows from rapid to calm. I hold out the white tiger plushy I had given him before we were separated. He sees it and looks up, disbelief and hope fill his eyes.

"L.J.?" he asks.

"Yes Rya," I answer, "It's me. I'm here now. You're gonna be alright. I made you a promise didn't I? I always keep my promises. Rya I've missed you so much. It tore my heart out when I was told you had died. You need to thank my friend Jeff later for seeing you. If not for him, I would not have known you were still alive and suffering so much."

Rya only nods, silently crying tears of joy. I wrap my arms around him, hugging him for a while. Then I slide one arm under his legs and the other I keep against his middle back. I stand and set him on his bed.

"Where are your pills?" I ask.

He points to a drawer. I walk over and open the drawer. It is full of pills. It is as if he has stopped taking them. Another thing I am going to question him about once he is better. I grab all the pills and put them in a bag I find. I walk back over to Rya, who is just sitting there still trying to process what's going on. I pick him up again, carrying him bridal-style. I then teleport back to the mansion. I walk down the hall way to my room. But first…

"Slender!" I call out.

"Yes Laughing Jack?" he says walking out of his office.

"Can you take these pills and turn them into candy?" I ask, "I have a feeling that Rya has stopped taking them and the only way to get him to start taking them again is if they are candy. Please?"

"Of course," he says, "would you like me to heal his wrists as well?"

"If you wouldn't mind," I say, "mind you I will be talking to him about that later on. Just giving you a heads up."

Slender nods and takes the bag of pills with one of his tendrils. He wraps a tendril around each of Rya's wrists. Rya flinches but stay still as Slender begins to close and heal the cuts. Once done, he disappears to somewhere to start working on the pills. I carry Rya to my room and set him on the bed. I walk into my bathroom and wet a cloth with cold water. I walk back to Rya and kneel down in front of him.

I am still slightly hunched over, seeing as how I'm 7 feet tall. I gently grab Rya's chin and tilt his head, cleaning the blood off of his pretty face. I have to rinse out the cloth five times before i finally get all of the blood off of him. I have just put the cloth in the dirty clothes bin when Slender walks in. He holds a large glass vase full of candy, which I assume is the pills.

"Thanks Slender," I say taking the jar from him.

"These are placed in almost every room in the house," Slender says, "that way if he has an attack while you are away the others can help him. He only needs to take one. It will calm him down enough to stop the coughing and bleeding. I also suggest you keep him away from sharp objects for a while. At least until he is mentally stable again."

"I will," I say, "Thank you Slender."

He nods and leaves, closing the door behind him. He was probably going check on Jeff. There were a couple and Slender seems to really worried about him. He must not have killed in a while. That is the only reasonable explanation. I turn and set the jar of medicine candies on my desk, away from the others so they wouldn't get mixed up. I take one out and walk over to Rya, who looks a bit dazed. I hold the candy pill against his lips.

"Rya," I say.

"Yes?" he opens his mouth and I push the pill in.

"Eat it," I say using my no-nonsense voice.

He knows better than to not listen when I use that voice. So he quietly lets the candy melt in his mouth. His eyes are half-open and he is much more relaxed as the pill starts working. I lay down on the bed, arms wrapping around Rya protectively. I pull him closer as I roll onto my side. He nuzzles my chest before drifting off into a peaceful sleep.

I have a lot of questions for Rya and I am going to interrogate him after he wakes up. But for now, I'm just happy to have him in my arms once again. I will never let him out of my sight again. I close my eyes and breathe in his sweet scent as I slowly drift into a world of darkness.


	5. Chapter 5

Part 5 – Pouting

~ Rya's POV ~

I wake up with arms wrapped around me protectively. I blink then look up. L.J. is snoring quietly, still asleep. My heart is no longer hollow. I have my Laughing Jack back. I snuggle up closer to my brother, nuzzling his chest.

His arms tighten around me. I feel him nuzzle my head, his coned nose poking me, before sitting up to yawn and stretch. I sit up lazily then fall back onto the pillow. L.J. chuckles, flashing a sharp-toothed grin towards me.

"You need to meet the others Rya," he says, "Come on. Get up."

"No," I whine, "I wanna sleep some more. It's too warm to get up. Lay back down. I wanna snuggle some mooorreeee."

"We can't right now Rya," he chuckles at my childishness, "I want you to meet the people you will be living with from now on."

I pout slightly and send a soft glare at my brother. I stick out my tongue and roll over onto my side with my back facing L.J. I hear him sigh a growl and am suddenly thrown over a black feathery shoulder. I just hang there, limply. I am too tired to fight with my brother at the moment. He walks out of his room with me in his grasp and walks into the kitchen.

He sits me down on one of the stools and pulls out a piece of candy from a large jar the sits on a counter near me. I just look at it, not understanding why he was giving me candy. He sighs and grabs my hand, placing the candy in it.

"Eat it," his voice tells me there is no room for argument, "I asked Slender to change your pills and turn them into candy so it would be easier for you to take. I don't want to catch you not taking your pills. Do you understand Rya?"

"Yes L.J." I yip.

I pop the candy into my mouth and taste strawberries. I smile and close my eyes, enjoying the sweet sugary bliss. L.J. smirks and sits down next to me. I hear footsteps walk over to us. I open my eyes to see four people standing in the kitchen. Three of the boys have masks on.

One has a white mask with black feminine looking features on it. He has hazel brown hair and blue eyes. He wears an orange rust colored blazer with jeans and running shoes. The one next to him wears a yellow hoody, jeans, and shoes. He has a black mask covering his face that adorns red eyes and a red stitched frown. He has dark brown hair. The third one has a midnight blue mask on with black eye holes with something black dripping from them. He wears a black hoody, black jeans, and black converse. He has auburn colored hair. The fourth male has long black charred looking fluffy hair. He has bleach-white colored skin. His eyes are bordered with think black circles and a smile carved into his face makes him look exceptionally beautiful.

"Who's this L.J.?" the boy with the white mask asks.

"This is Rya," L.J. explains, "my young, thought to be dead, younger brother."

"I told you I saw him," the smiling boy says to my brother, "He looks exactly like you L.J."

"Apart from looking like a girl," the one with the blue mask says.

Everyone freezes as they feel the air in the kitchen change. L.J. tenses up already knowing what is about to happen. Not even he would dare to call me that word or even compare me to it. The last time it happened I almost gone on a killing spree.

'They need to know just what Rya is capable of,' L.J. thinks, 'it will also teach them to never call or compare him to a girl.'

L.J. watches, sweat-dropping, as my hair turns from a bright cheerful red to a deep crimson blood red. My teeth sharpen and my skin pales. My outfit drains itself of all bright colors, leaving behind black and dark gray colors. My eyes, instead of white, turn silver.

I glare at the blue masked boy, growling. He jumps and steps behind the other three who are frozen in shock and fear. Just then L.J. appears next to me, perfectly calm and already used to this, grabbing my ear.

"Ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow," I whine as he drags me back to the stools we were sitting on by my ear.

"Behave," L.J. says letting go after I sit back down.

"Meany," I out and look away.

"He's absolutely adorable L.J." the white masked boy giggles, "but he sure seems like a handful."

"He is when he wants to be," my brother replies, "which isn't very often. He usually gets like this when he doesn't want to do something or when I stop him from misbehaving. That's why I'm the only one who can handle him. Just don't call him the 'g' word again."

"Hump," I pout glaring at the table.

"Rya stop pouting," L.J. sighs, "I want you to meet some friends of mine."

I glare at him, still pouting, then look away and cross my arms over my chest. I know full well that it will make him angry. He doesn't have the right to be angry at me for wanting his attention. He also doesn't have the right to get mad at me for getting angry about being called a girl. He knows I hate it when people call me that. I hear a vein in my brother's head pop. L.J. sighs a growl, not having the patience to deal with my attitude.

"I forgot how stubborn you are," he says, "now stop pouting. I will not allow you to meet the others while pouting. That's an order Rya."

I say nothing and continue to pout, the bright rainbow colors returning to my being. The four boys watch in shock at what is playing out before them. No one, not even Slender, dares to refuse L.J. when he requests something. They can also see that L.J. is quickly losing his patience.

"Rya," he growls then sighs, "I will be right back guys. I need to talk to Rya alone for a moment."

Before I can move, L.J. and I are teleported back into his room. I am tossed onto his bed, still pouting. I don't understand why he is acting the way he is. We used to make a joke out of this but now he doesn't even smile.

'Did he not even wonder if I was alive?' I ask myself, 'Did he even notice I was gone? Does he even care?'

"Rya," L.J. says trying to gain my attention.

"You know better than anyone," I growl softly, "just how stubborn I can be. Or did you forget that small detail of that last ten fucking years?"

"You are pushing it Rya," L.J. growls, "my patience left when I lost my sanity ten years ago. Do not test me. I am your older brother and you will not act like a child when you do not get your way. I will not hesitate to punish you if you do."

'This is not my brother,' I tell myself, 'my brother would have at least asked me if I was okay. He would actually act as if he cared. This is not my L.J.'

I frown, no longer pouting. I can feel tears pricking my eyes, stinging them. Is it so wrong for me to want my brother's full attention after being alone for the last decade, suffering with the knowledge that he was dead? I pull my knees up against my chest and bury my face in them, trying to hide the tear that have sneaked out of the corners of my eyes. I can hear L.J. hesitate and freeze.

"Well sorry if I selfishly wanted all of my brother's attention after suffering all alone for the last ten fucking years thinking he was dead!" I cry.


End file.
